Phenomenology of music in contemporary architecture: a case of selected music performance venues in Kampala.

Abstract

The five Fine Arts, which are architecture, music, literature, painting and sculpture, share some common terminologies. These terminologies encompass; composition, proportion, scale, metre, pitch, rhythm, harmony, tactus, contrast, nuance, accent, triad, interval, tonality, detailing and musical landscape, (Somov, 1977). Renown Architects like Frank Gehry, Steven Holl, Libeskind among others have embraced the notion of music inspiring architecture and we have witnessed it take shape in office buildings, performing arts schools and concert halls. This has given supplementary identity to the built environment which seems not to be the case in Uganda. The Federation of Performing Arts in Uganda together with Tebere Arts foundation and Uganda Theatre Development Association have come up with initiatives to boast the theatre industry through the annual international music festivals that are held at Ndere Cultural Centre. The architects are thus being propelled to design for these spaces drawing inspiration from the art of performance. This research focused on examining the extent to which the phenomenology of music in contemporary architecture is being integrated in music performance venues in Kampala by reviewing the available literature on the subject matter, making observation, use of photography, having interviews with performers, architects and leaders of statutory bodies. The research went ahead to investigate the expressive qualities of musical spaces and how they can be integrated in music performance venues in Kampala and recommend improvements that can be made for all users to have a better spatial experience of music performance venues in Kampala.